Car cab cover

ABSTRACT

A car cover having tethers passing through holes formed in the cover. Each tether has an anchor in the form of a ball attached thereto. The anchor is larger than the interior diameter of the holes, so that the tether is prevented from being pulled through the hole. The cover is retained on the vehicle by placing at least one anchor inside the vehicle, and closing a door or window over the tether. In alternative embodiments, the vehicle cover has one or more tethers. The tethers may be linear, or may form a closed loop. A tether may pass through just one hole, or more than one hole. The cover is preferably dimensioned and configured to cover only the cab portion of a motor vehicle, that is, that portion of the vehicle having any combination of front, rear, and side windows. The holes are formed in a central panel overlying the vehicle roof, and front, rear, and side panels cover vertical surfaces, attaching to the vehicle body by magnets embedded in the respective panels. The material is preferably a multistratum composite having one reflective side and one water impermeable side. It is therefore highly practical to provide a reversible cover which selectively protects against sun and frozen water, which is compact, light, and easily installed and removed, and which requires no separate or complicated security apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to flexible car covers, and moreparticularly to a cover for the cab portion of a vehicle, the coverhaving theft resistant anchoring members secured by closing a vehicledoor or window thereover.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Motor vehicles, and particularly privately owned automobiles, aresusceptible to being rendered uncomfortable and to being damaged byperiodic exposure to the sun and weather. One especially vexing problemfor the typical owner of a car is that when parked temporarily in thesun, the passenger compartment quickly becomes quite hot. This is veryuncomfortable to passengers upon returning to the vehicle. It is alsopotentially damaging to the car and its contents. Plastic and leatherfabrics and coverings are more rapidly aged or dried by exposure to heator to ultraviolet light which enters the cab. Certain personal propertycommonly carried in cars, such as magnetic audio tapes, are also quitesusceptible to damage from heat.

Other environmental hazards which are desirable to avoid include dust,dirt, rain, snow, frost, and ice formation on vehicle windows.

Motor vehicle covers have been developed to protect vehicles from theseconditions. Some are full body covers, that is, which envelope or coveran entire vehicle body. Others are designed specifically to cover onlythe window area, since both heat and window fouling hazards impingeprincipally on the cab area of motor vehicles. A cover which covers thewindows only, or which covers roof and windows, will be termed a cabcover. A full body cover can be awkward and unwieldy to install,unattractive, and may occupy a large amount of space when stored.

Both types of covers, full body and cab, if sufficiently small, light,and flexible as to conform to vehicle body contours and to be easilyinstalled and removed, are susceptible to theft.

Car covers, therefore, must be designed to accommodate conflictingrequirements. Many different approaches have been attempted to produce asatisfactory cover.

Covers which are contoured and configured specifically to protect onlythe cab portion of a car are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,842,324, issued toHarvey K. Carden on Jun. 27, 1989; 4,972,892, issued to George C. Yeh onNov. 27, 1990; and 5,029,933, issued to Vernon A. Gillem on Jul. 9,1991. The cover of Carden '324 comprises a rectangular panel having slitcorners, so that the resultant cover conforms closely to the cab whendraped thereover. Theft deterrence is addressed by locating one end ofthe cover in the vehicle trunk, a portion feeding through the gapbetween trunk lid and body. When closed, the trunk lid effectivelysecures the cover against theft. Securement against theft by entrapmentby a trunk lid is also seen in Gillem '933.

Yeh '892 also slits the corners of a triangular fabric to produce aconforming cover. The cover is further secured to the vehicle bymagnetic adhesion of magnets embedded in the cover fabric, and by strapshaving hook and loop fasteners. The cover of this invention is made fromplural plies, there being sun resistant material facing in onedirection, and water repellant material exposed on the other side. Thecover is reversible, thus providing both heat protection in the summer,and freeze protection in the winter.

A full body cover is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,417, issued toDonald B. Curchod on Feb. 23, 1993. The cover disclosed therein isstowed in the trunk and feeds therefrom for deployment. Furthersecurement against theft is provided by closing vehicle doors over aportion of the cover.

It would be possible to secure a vehicle cover by passing a strap orcable through the gap between a vehicle door and body, there being anenlarged member preventing the strap or cable from being pulled free.This is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,205, issued to John M. Garner.

In a further effort to deter theft, Garner provides an audible alarmincorporated into the enlarged member.

Multilayered fabrics for car covers are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No.4,821,785, issued to Rolan on Apr. 18, 1989. Rolan's fabric includes aninner layer of a smooth, self-lubricating material for protecting theexterior paint or finish, as polyethylene or polypropylene. Areinforcing layer is provided next, when the first layer lackssufficient strength. A vapor-tight and light resistant barrier is thenprovided by an outer plastic film, such as polyester, and a thin metallayer.

None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or incombination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A preferred vehicle cover for protecting ordinary passenger sedans andlike vehicles is provided by a reversible cover for the cab only. Sinceit is desired primarily to protect windows from fouling and the interiorfrom heating, a cover is required essentially only for the windows. Amore extensive cover, while addressing a slightly different need, ismore difficult to install and to fold and stow. It is also lessattractive, since a larger cover, unless very carefully configured tocooperate with a particular vehicle body, is invariably bulky andill-fitting.

One practical aspect of a cab-only cover is that it can be secured tothe vehicle at the top of the door, or by rolling up a window. This isnot possible with a full body cover.

It is also desirable to provide a vehicle cover which is reversible,selectively exposing a reflective surface upwardly for heatingprotection from the sun, and exposing a water impermeable surface toward off rain, snow, and ice.

The present invention provides a vehicle cover which satisfies theseobjectives, while improving on the practicality of the prior art. Thenovel vehicle cover includes a central panel overlying the roof portionof the vehicle, and front, rear, and side panels which cover thewindows. The front, rear, and side panels will also be referred to as"lateral panels" hereinafter.

Securement of the novel cover is by entrapment of anchors within thevehicle. Tethers passing through holes formed in the central panel areplaced between the door and its jamb, or between the window and itscasing of the vehicle, and the respective door or window is closedthereover. The anchor comprises an enlarged object too bulky to bepulled through the gap between door and jam, or window and casing, andtherefore secures the cover to the vehicle.

This arrangement is very advantageous for several reasons. Firstly, thetether is integral with the cover, in the sense that there are noseparate parts which could become lost. Also, there is no requirementfor additional locking apparatus.

Despite the tether being integral with the cover, it is adjustable as tolength. This enables ready manipulation when installing the cover on avehicle, and adapts the cover to vehicles having differing dimensionsand configurations.

The anchors enable the doors or windows of a vehicle to retain a covermember in positive fashion. The trunk of the vehicle need not beinvolved in entrapping the cover. It may be inconvenient to open andclose the trunk of a sedan in order to secure a cover. And if the mainsecurement is provided at the rear of the cover, additional attachmentmay be required to hold the cover squarely on the vehicle body.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide avehicle cover for a vehicle which is secured to the vehicle byentrapment of cover members by the doors or windows of the vehicle, andparticularly at the top of the doors or windows.

It is another object of the invention to provide entrapped cover memberswhich extend a slidably adjustable distance from the cover.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a reversible coverfor a vehicle which selectively protects against sun and heat, andagainst water and freezing water.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a vehicle coverwherein slidably adjustable entrapped members are not removable from thecover.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a vehicle coverwhich is adjustable to fit differently configured vehicles.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle coverhaving lateral panels which self-adhere to a vehicle body.

Still an additional object of the invention is to provide a vehiclecover which is readily manipulated and installed on the vehicle.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a vehicle cover whichis compact, easily stowed, and protects the cab of the vehicle.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements andarrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which isinexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing itsintended purposes.

These and other objects of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic, front cross-sectional, environmental view ofthe invention, drawn to enlarged scale.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic, front cross-sectional, environmental view ofthe invention, showing a second method of use, drawn to enlarged scale.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of a preferred materialfor making the vehicle cover panels.

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 are diagrammatic, perspective, detail views of threeembodiments of the invention illustrating tethering arrangement, drawnto reduced scale.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The vehicle cover 10 of the present invention is seen installed on avehicle V in FIG. 1. Vehicle cover 10 is preferably a cab cover,including a central panel 12 covering and overlying a generallyhorizontal roof portion of the cab or passenger compartment C of thevehicle, a front panel 14, a rear panel 16, and side panels 18. Panels14, 16, 18 cover the windows of the vehicle, and project verticallydownwardly from the periphery of central panel 12.

Central panel 12 is held in place by four anchors 20. Anchors 20 attachto tethers (not shown) passing through holes 22 formed in central panel12, holes 22 being reinforced by eyelets 24 or by other suitable means.

Anchors 20 are crucial to a securement arrangement which is bestunderstood by reference to FIG. 2. Each one of several tethers 26 hastwo anchors 20 securely attached thereto. Anchors 20 comprise enlargedmembers formed at the ends of tether 26. Anchors 20 have a minimumdiameter dimension greater than the cube minimum interior diameterdimension of each hole 22, and an anchor 20 will interfere with anadjacent hole 22. Therefore, an anchor 20 cannot pass through a hole 22,and tether 26 is permanently attached to vehicle cover 10, beingslidably retained in a hole 22.

One end of tether 26 is passed into the passenger compartment C ofvehicle V, being placed between door D and door jamb J. The door is thenclosed, entrapping anchor 20A. Anchor 20B prevents vehicle cover 10 frombeing pulled free of tether 26. Vehicle cover 10 is thereby secured byvehicle parts, and employing the conventional, pre-existing vehicle locksystem (not shown).

As seen in FIG. 3, it is also feasible to lock anchor 20A by passingtether 26 through a window, between the window W and its window casingWC.

Front, rear, and side panels 14, 16, 18 hang downwardly, covering theirrespective windows, and adhere to the vehicle body by magnets 28 (seeFIG. 1) embedded within the panel fabric. This prevents the wind fromuncovering a window.

A preferred material 30 for fabricating panels 12, 14, 16, 18 is shownin FIG. 4. A top layer 32 is made from a material, preferably a flexiblesynthetic resin, having reflective characteristics, or of very lightcolor. This layer 32 would be selected as the upwardly exposed layerwhen it is desired to protect the passenger compartment or cab C fromsunlight and heat.

The second layer 34 is preferably metallic, such as aluminum foil. Thisimparts strength and improves the integrity of the first layer whenexposed to light, moisture, and other contaminants.

A third layer 36 is made from a thermally insulating material.

The last layer 38 is made from a dark or heat absorbing material,preferably also a flexible synthetic resin. Although layer 36 preventsheat from readily entering the cab of the vehicle, any accumulation ofsnow, sleet, or ice which may form on vehicle cover 10 is more quicklymelted if a heat absorbing material is exposed.

Several different arrangements of tethers are possible, as shown inFIGS. 5, 6, and 7. The arrangement shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 corresponds toa first embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 5. In thisembodiment, there are four tethers 26A, shown exaggerated in length,each tether 26A passing through one associated hole 22.

In a second embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 6, there are two tethers26B. Each tether 26B is of greater length than the tether of the firstembodiment, and spans central panel 12. Tethers 26B may be orientedfront to rear, or right side to left side of the cab. This arrangementreduces the number of separate tethers and minimizes the number ofanchors 20.

In a third embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 7, a single tether 26C formsa closed loop, and has two anchors 20.

In each of the three embodiments presented hereinabove, regardless ofthe precise arrangement thereof, a tether projects from the novelvehicle cover, and extends into the interior of the vehicle. Theresultant cover is compact, light, and effectively secured to itsassociated vehicle.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

I claim:
 1. A vehicle cover comprising:a central panel for covering aroof portion of a vehicle cab; front, rear and two side panels attachedto said central panel for covering vertical surfaces of the vehicle cab;said central panel having four holes spaced apart and located at fourcorners of said central panel, each of the four holes having apermanently attached tether passing therethrough; each said permanentlyattached tether having two ends, each of said ends having an anchorattached thereto, whereby said vehicle cover, when placed on a vehicle,is secured thereto when said anchor is placed inside the vehicle byclosing selectively one of a vehicle door and a window over saidpermanently attached tether.
 2. The vehicle cover according to claim 1,wherein said front, rear, and side panels have magnets embedded therein,whereby said front, rear, and side panels are adhered to the vehiclebody.
 3. The vehicle cover according to claim 1, there being four saidtethers, each said tether passing through one said hole.
 4. The vehiclecover according to claim 1, there being two tethers provided forattachment at said holes, one of said two tethers passing through two ofsaid four holes.
 5. The vehicle cover according to claim 1, each of saidholes having a minimum interior diameter, said anchor having a minimumdiameter of dimension greater than the diameter of the interior diameterof an adjacent said hole, whereby said tether is prevented from beingpulled through said hole and out of engagement with said cover.
 6. Thevehicle cover according to claim 1, wherein said cover is reversible andcomprises a reflective top layer and a heat absorbing bottom layer.
 7. Avehicle cover having:two permanently attached tethers each havinganchors located at each end thereof; four holes extending through saidcover; and one of said two tethers passing through two of said fourholes, said one tether thereby remaining slidably retained within twoholes, whereby said vehicle cover, when placed on a vehicle, is securedto the vehicle by closing selectively one of a vehicle door and a windowover said tether when said anchors are placed inside the vehicle.
 8. Avehicle cover according to claim 7, said vehicle cover includes acentral panel for covering and overlying a generally horizontal roofportion of a cab of the vehicle, said four holes spaced apart andlocated at four corners of the vehicle roof portion.
 9. A vehicle coveraccording to claim 7, each anchor having a minimum diameter, each one ofsaid holes having a minimum interior diameter, and anchor said anchorminimum diameter being of dimension greater than the dimension of theinterior diameter of an adjacent hole, whereby said tether is preventedagainst being removed from said vehicle cover by interference between asaid anchor and adjacent said hole.
 10. A vehicle cover according toclaim 7, further comprising front, rear, and side panels attached tosaid cover for covering vertical surfaces of the vehicle, said front,rear, and side panels having magnets embedded therein, whereby saidfront, rear, and side panels are adhered to the vehicle body.
 11. Thevehicle cover according to claim 7, wherein said cover is reversible andcomprises a reflective top layer and a heat absorbing bottom layer. 12.A vehicle cover having:one permanently attached tether forming a closedloop and having at least two anchors located therealong, and a pluralityof holes extending through said cover, said tether passing through eachone of said holes, said tether thereby remaining slidably retainedwithin said holes, whereby said vehicle cover, when placed on a vehicle,is secured to the vehicle body by closing selectively one of a vehicledoor and a window over said tether when said anchors are placed insidethe vehicle.
 13. The vehicle cover according to claim 12, said vehicleincluding a central panel for covering and overlying a generallyhorizontal roof portion of a cab of the vehicle, said a plurality ofholes includes four holes spaced apart and located at four corners ofthe vehicle roof portion.
 14. The vehicle cover according to claim 12,each one of said at least two anchors having a minimum diameter, eachone of said holes having a minimum interior diameter, said minimumdiameter being of dimension greater than the dimension of the interiordiameter of an adjacent said hole, whereby said tether is prevented frombeing removed from said vehicle cover by interference between a saidanchor and a said hole.
 15. The vehicle cover according to claim 12,further comprising front, rear, and side panels attached to said coverfor covering vertical surfaces of the vehicle, said front, rear, andside panels having magnets embedded therein, whereby said front, rear,and side panels are adhered to the vehicle body.
 16. The vehicle coveraccording to claim 12 wherein said cover is reversible and comprises areflective top layer and a heat absorbing bottom layer.